Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“If you could have one superpower, what would you pick and what's the first thing you'd actually do with it?”
What to listen for
The power they choose says something about what they wish they had more of, strength, invisibility, flying can point to wanting protection, escape, or freedom respectively.
If their first move is to help someone specific, that reveals a caring, other-focused instinct worth praising; if it's purely for fun or adventure, that's a healthy sign of just wanting more freedom and possibility.
If they can't decide, let them talk through a few options out loud, the back-and-forth itself often reveals more than a single final answer would.
What this tells you
This shows you what your child feels they're missing enough of that they'd wish for it, given the choice.